


The Safe Place

by TheOddCatLady95



Category: RWBY
Genre: Agender Character, Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Asexual Character, Bisexual Character, Closeted Character, Demisexual Character, Gay Character, Genderfluid Character, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, LGBTQ Themes, Multi, Nonbinary Character, Pansexual Character, Questioning, Ships will likely appear and be tagged when they finally pop up, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Transphobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-22
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-06-10 01:45:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6932845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOddCatLady95/pseuds/TheOddCatLady95
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When you don't fit what people judge as 'normal', sometimes you just need a safe place to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Fresh Start- Penny Polendina

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to AniPendragon, who was more than excited to hear I was inspired to write a story with transgender Penny! I hope this meets your approval!

A fresh start. That's all Penny needed.

 

She spun around in front of her mirror before lifting a hand to hide her quiet giggles. She looked so pretty. A skirt skirt, a lovely cream blouse, her orange hair had finally grown out past her ears and she'd curled it and put it back in a bright pink bow.

 

First day at a new highschool, in a new town, where no one knew who she used to be. Father did this all for her, even though he said homeschooling was an option, Penny didn't want that. She wanted to be around people, and Beacon Highschool truly seemed like a great place to be.

 

It was almost time to board the bus. Penny picked up her bag, smoothed her skirt one more time, and headed out the door with a definite spring to her step.

 

~*~

 

“Who's the new girl?”

 

 _Girl. They called me a **girl**_. Penny resisted the urge to skip and just flashed a bright smile at the small group talking to each other. They seemed ridiculously flustered and stopped talking. Hmm, were they worried she minded they were talking about her?

 

It wasn't like they were saying anything _mean_ about her. They were just wondering who she was. Locker 108, Locker 108… ah, there it was!

 

Penny hummed softly as she carefully placed her bag in there. She'd have to get new books at her next class. She straightened the few pins on it… perfect. She stepped away from her own locker…

 

_Bam!_

 

The other locker door just shot out, whacking Penny on the side of the head and into the lockers. Now very much in _pain_ , the girl breathed in sharply and gripped her head. _Owwww..._

 

“Uh… Ruby?”

 

“… OH DRAT!”

 

The locker closed and a very frantic girl in red instantly got into Penny's space, examining what was going to be probably a nasty bruise later. “Are you okay? I'm sorry, I thought no one had the locker next to mine, no one has for like a week now, I'm so sorry…”

 

 _She smells like cookies_. Penny took a deep breath before lowering her hands and smiling. “I'm all right! Just a bump.” She lowered her hands to prove it.

 

The girl sighed with evident relief. “Ohthankgod I thought I gave you a concussion. I'm Ruby.” She stuck out her hand and waited patiently.

 

Right. Needed to shake it. Trying not to seem like it hurt, Penny eagerly shook Ruby's hand. “My name is Penny. It's a pleasure to meet you!”

 

Ruby had a very nice smile. Penny took in some more details about her- her jeans had three holes in them, the knees and one on her thigh. Her red hoodie was a bit too large, and she had her ears pierced- rose earrings, very pretty.

 

“Rubes? Class?”

 

The blonde looked at Ruby quizzically. Ruby shot back to reality and stepped away. “Ah, gotta run! See you later, friend!”

 

Ruby took off down the hallway like a bullet, a small red streak in the crowd of teenagers.

 

Penny stood there, stunned for several seconds.

 

_Friend? Could she be my friend?_

 

~*~

 

“I am home, father!”

 

Penny slipped out of her shoes and tiptoed into the study.

 

There he was. Clearly someone had been working too much last night if Father fell asleep at his desk. Penny smiled quietly and stepped into the kitchen.

 

Not too long later, a hot cup of coffee was sat carefully next to him. The 'clink' of the cup on the desk caused the man to stir, tensing before sleepy blue eyes flickered open. “… Penny. You're home.” Yawning, James Ironwood sat up and cracked the bones in his shoulder. “Did school go all right?”

 

“Oh, it went very well. I met someone very nice. Her name is Ruby!” Unfortunately, Penny didn't run into her after that first time. She tried to find Ruby again, but apparently none of their classes overlapped. That was sad.

 

James noticeably became less tense. Her father was worried, of course. “Good. Do you like it here?”

 

Penny nodded rapidly. “Very much! Thank you father. This transfer is working beautifully! I missed some material from last week, may I go and study now?”

 

Chuckling, James reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Of course you can. Thanks for waking me, Penny.”

 

“I love you, father!”

 

After she'd skipped upstairs and organized her school materials, she turned on her laptop.

 

First, she was going to fill out her diary.

 

~*~

 

_QUEER'S CLUB_

 

Someone had taken a red sharpie and scrawled this over a poster on the wall. Penny frowned. She did not quite mind that word, but when it was meant to be harsh, it was very hard to like. She tried to rub some off, but it only smudged the ink.

 

Thankfully, most of it was still readable.

 

_The Safe Place_

 

_Every Wednesday Night, occasional meetings on Friday Nights._

 

_Never be shamed of who you are, and who you love. And be surrounded by people who are just like you._

 

_Ages 15 and up are welcome, we meet in the gymnasium at seven. Invite your friends, even if they don't go to this school or seem a bit old to join!_

 

Safe Place? Penny read it over and over again, the red ink marring it but the message still stuck in her mind. She pulled her hands to her chest and fiddled with her sleeves.

 

She'd been comfortable, being unnoticed. No one knew anything was different about her. And well, that was safe. And nice.

 

But were there others really around here, like her? Would she be really that lucky?

 

“Again?! _Christ_ , when will people give us a _break_?”

 

The blonde that was with Ruby was not very happy, her hands were on her hips and her eyes were narrowed. Penny stepped out of the way. “Do… do you go to the meetings?”

 

Her eyes slid over to Penny. “Oh, yeah. I help run them too, sometimes. I'm pansexual. Ruby goes too. Trying not to be rude, but it's not for allies. We sometimes have events though?”

 

Ruby goes too? Penny looked at the poster again.

 

_It's safe when it's a secret. Father won't approve._

 

But could she still keep it a secret and be surrounded by people who understood?

 

“I understand. Thank you.”

 

“No prob.”

 

~*~

 

Father _really_ wouldn't approve. Part of the reason for this move was so she could be just like everyone else. But Penny wanted to take the chance of fitting in even better.

 

Her dress was pretty, too. Pink flowers, green vines, all on a white dress that went past her knees. She put a bag over her shoulder and looked in the study again. He was busy. Just make it quick.

 

“Father, I'm going to a study group tonight. I will be back by ten.”

 

“That's nice, Penny.”

 

He wasn't paying attention. Clearly. No father was perfect, though.

 

Penny walked to the school and headed for the gymnasium door. She barely got into the parking lot when she started hearing the sounds. Laughter. Loud chatter. Happiness. That was the sound of happiness. Penny took a deep breath and halted at the edge of the pavement.

 

Should she really do this?

 

“Are you just going to stick out here all night, kid?”

 

Penny squeaked and spun around, to see a much taller man with a white coat and hair almost as shocking orange as her own. Behind him was a very tiny girl with brown and pink hair, just looking at Penny with curiosity. The orange haired guy smirked. “Take your time, but better go in. You'll miss all the fun.” He winked before he walked on, the girl with him waving before they headed into the gym.

 

Well, they seemed nice enough. Penny took a deep breath. Well… there was no harm in going just once. She started to walk across the parking lot.

 

“Penny?!”

 

Penny gasped and turned.

 

Ruby, with the blonde haired girl. With them was another girl with white hair in a ponytail (and a very pretty skirt) and a final girl with a bow in her hair too, but hers was black.

 

The blonde glanced at the gym, then back at Penny, then back at the gym, then back to Penny. “Soooooo…. _Not_ an ally?”

 

Penny swallowed nervously but smiled and shook her head. “No. I'm not.”  


“… I'm such an _asshole_.”

 

Ruby snickered before stepping forward. “Want to walk in with us? It's kinda scary going in the first time- I wouldn't have been able to do it by myself.”

 

She outstretched a hand. Penny looked at it before smiling and taking it. “I would appreciate that very much, friend Ruby.”

 

“Let'sgo!”

 

It was a full out sprint to the door after that, Ruby and Penny laughing the whole way.

 

~*~

 

“That's Roman, he's kinda a jerk sometimes and sorta awful, but he's like the big brother I never had… or wanted. He's genderfluid with masculine pronouns. The girl with him is Neo. She's bisexual, she dated another girl who ended up moving away so they broke it off. They're already graduated but they were apart of this club when it was still only this school. The girl with the short orange hair trying to challenge Yang to an arm wrestling contest is Nora, she and Ren, oh, he's the guy with the pink streak in his hair trying to stop her, they're both asexual. And I think they're in love. A little. Oh, Sun! That's Sun, the blonde who doesn't know how to button up his shirt. He's reeeaally bisexual. Neptune is next to him, he's the one with the blue hair. And there's Jaune, and there's Velvet…”

 

Penny sipped her punch, doing her best to keep up. There really was a lot of people here. No one really above twenty four, except for the one monitoring- a person with silver hair and glasses, they just sat and seemed to monitor everything. According to Ruby, that was Professor Ozpin, agender with they/them pronouns. Apparently Ruby knew what everyone preferred to be called, or what their orientation was.

 

“Ruby?”

 

Penny looked up from her own punch cup. “Hmmm?”

 

“Can I ask why you are here?”

 

Ruby lowered her cup before smiling.

 

“I… don't really know yet? I mean. I know I like boys. And girls. And everyone in between. But I like their personalities more. I don't think I'm asexual though? I don't think I'm gonna label myself yet. I'm gonna wait until I know who I am. And it's no rush. What about you?”

 

Penny clenched her hands. “… Can that be my secret for now?”

 

Ruby nodded. “Yeah! I mean, not everyone opens up about who they are. They just know around here, they're accepted. No matter what.”

 

_A fresh start._

 

_And a safe place to go._

 

Penny nodded. “Thank you, Ruby.”

 

“No prob. Oh, there's Pyrrha! She's a _model_. Can you believe it? I think she's one of the first transgender models in the country? I don't know though. I'd have to ask her.”

 

_I really am safe here._

 

 


	2. Bed Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone going home and to bed.

“Neo, we're home.”

 

Roman grunted as he kicked open the door, shifting the mostly sleeping girl on his back. She shifted but didn't make a sign to show she was awake. Sighing, Roman just carried her into her room… her ridiculously pink room.

 

The pillows were lacey and some were shaped like animals. Vanilla candles were scattered across her windowsill, some were nearly burnt out- Roman would have to buy her some more. Setting her gently on her bed, Roman tucked her in and sighed.

 

Oh. The picture of their Mom and Dad was about to fall off the sidetable. Roman slid it back to safety before kissing Neo's forehead.

 

“Night, sis.”

 

In the bathroom, he scrubbed off all the makeup. Eyeliner, touches of eyeshadow, foundation, all swirled down the sink. He looked back up at the mirror and cringed. Ew. Talk about washed out. And he had far too many damn freckles. He dried off his face on the towel before going to his room.

 

It was midnight, it was time for bed.

 

~*~

 

Penny should've known that her father would be waiting in the living room. She shut the door behind her and tried to look innocent.

 

“Hello, father.”

 

“Hello, Penny..” James glanced up at the clock. “Do you know what time it is?”

 

“Oh, uh...” Penny made a show of looking at the clock. “It's almost eleven thirty, it looks!” _Hic_! As Ruby would say- _drat_. It was always a dead giveaway when she hiccuped.

 

“Penny...”

 

She was in trouble. Penny scuffed her shoe on the floor. “I was having fun with my friends, I'm sorry, I lost track of time. I know I should have texted or called, but I didn't take the time.”

 

James sighed and stood up, setting his hand on Penny's shoulder. “It's all right. Just please call me next time. I was about ten minutes away from calling the police. You scare me sometimes, Pen.”

 

 _I know, father_. “I promise. Next time, I will call.” She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her father. He was so nice to hug. James hugged her back and stroked her hair.

 

“I'm glad you're okay. Did you take your pills today?”

 

Penny pulled away and nodded. “Yes, of course. I'm not really seeing a difference.” It was rather lucky for her that she had always been underweight and gangly, and facial hair wasn't ever a problem.

 

“That's what time is for, Pen. Well, off to bed.”

 

Feeling relieved that he hadn't asked what she had done with her night, Penny hurried to bed. One day she'd tell him about her new friends, but not yet. It was kinda fun to have your own secret.

 

~*~

 

Pyrrha sighed as she slipped out of her clothes, pointedly avoiding looking at herself in the mirror hanging on her door.

 

She didn't understand why people found her body appealing. Although she did an excellent job of hiding it, the redhead had a _lot_ of problems with how she looked.

 

With a sigh, she lifted her dreaded boxers from the dresser. On one hand, just the sight of them made her feel ready to hurl. But, as she slipped them on, she remembered why she kept them around… they were just so much _comfier_.

 

Pyrrha pulled out her ponytail and let her hair hang as she wiggled into a tank top. She finally caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and grimaced. Maybe she should not keep a mirror in her room…

 

Her computer started to chime, and everything suddenly felt a little better. Pyrrha skipped to her laptop and shook the mouse, brightening up when she saw who was calling. She hit the answer button so fast she nearly broke her mouse.

 

“Jaune! Hello again!”

 

Jaune laughed nervously, in his own pajamas for the night. His white t-shirt was practically swallowing him. He was so _cute_. “Pyrrha! Your hair is down! You look _amazing_!”

 

In a stained green tank top, with nothing to give off a convincing female form, make up scrubbed off, and her hair a mess… Jaune Arc thought Pyrrha Nikos looked amazing.

 

And that's all she needed sometimes.

 

“Thank you. Glad to see you got home safely. Do you want to talk?”

 

“Yeah, just for a few minutes, then I'm going to bed…”

 

~*~

 

Footsteps… nope. Going to the kitchen. Back to talking.

 

“And then Ren just shot me this confused look and I had to backtrack. Real close call there.” Jaune quietly laughed.

 

Pyrrha sighed, shaking her head with that pitying look in her eyes. “Jaune, you don't have to-”

 

Footsteps. Coming down his hall. “Crap! Gotta go!” He didn't even get to hear her say goodbye- Jaune just slammed the laptop shut and turned to his door.

 

It opened up to reveal another blonde. “Joan, why are you still up? Go to bed.”

 

Pierette. Jaune smiled and ignored that twist in his stomach. A quick glance assured that his binder had been hidden under his bed. “Friend wanted to chat.”

 

“Oh, you mean your _girlfriend_.”

 

Jaune's face grew hot. “I… I have _no_ idea what you are talking… about.” Jaune cleared his throat. “Where'd you get that idea, Pierette?”

 

His sister snorted. “Come on, the haircut? The boxers? Come on, Joan, you're a total lesbian. It's totally cool you like girls, don’t get me wrong. You shouldn't feel like you should hide it though.”

 

 _She means well, she means well…_ “I'll keep that in mind.” Jaune managed to fake yawn. “Wow, feeling the day catching up to me. Night, big sis.”

 

“Night, lil sis. Love you.”

 

He waited until her steps faded back down the hallway… before he crumbled. Knees pulled to his chest, hands running through his hair, couldn't breathe, couldn't breathe, _great_ , now Pierette would tell mom and dad that 'Joan is a lesbian' and they wouldn't ever treat him the same again and they wouldn't get that 'no mom it's not that I like girls it's that I'm _not_ one' and frankly he just wanted to throw up and _die_.

 

Crawling into bed, pulling the covers over his head, knowing he wasn't going to sleep tonight and so thankful it was a Friday night, Jaune grabbed his phone and sent Pyrrha a text.

 

_Text: I'm not ready to be out yet. I want to be though._

 

For a few minutes, Jaune was scared, scared she'd just gone to bed and he'd be alone because she was the only one that knew because he was such a _coward_ and couldn't admit to the others in the group he was more than just questioning-

 

_Ping!_

 

_I won't ever force you to come out. You're the man Jaune. Remember that. :D_

 

You're the man.

 

Jaune sniffled and rubbed any tears off his cheeks. Granted, he still felt awful. And next morning his mother would chide him for staying up so late because he would be falling asleep in his pancakes… but at least he could go chill at Pyrrha's house afterwards. Maybe play a few rounds of Mario Kart. Invite Ren and Nora over.

 

And he'd totally be the man.

 

~*~

 

 _Creeeaaak_.

 

Summer opened an eye and listened carefully. That was the door opening.

 

_Step. Stepstepstep. Bump!_

 

That would be Ruby, running into the coffee table. If it was Yang, there would be a muffled cuss word or two.

 

_Tiptoe, tiptooooe… tiptoetiptoe… Squeak…_

 

That was the refrigerator opening. Summer managed to look over the lump that was TaiYang to see the clock. Midnight snack. Probably after being out with friends.

 

_Glug, swish, swish… click._

 

Filling a glass of milk. And raiding the cookie jar.

 

The next few minutes were mostly quiet, except for the 'munchmunchmunch' of a girl eating at least three cookies. _Rascal_. She knew Summer usually only let her have two.

 

Then there was the soft tiptoeing down the hall and the opening and shut of her door. And she thought no one knew.

 

“Who was that.”

 

Summer turned back over to see Raven. Eyes not open, but she clearly had woken up with the front door opening. “It was Ruby. Just had a midnight snack and went to bed. Bet she had a good time tonight.”

 

Raven nodded before scooting closer and wrapping her arms around Summer. “Bet she did.”

 

“Whadya talkin' bout...” TaiYang rolled over and wrapped his arms around both his ladies.

 

Summer giggled and made herself comfortable between the warmth of her lovers. “Nothing, Tai. Go back to sleep.”

 

“And try not to snore.” Raven cracked an eye open and had the most awful smirk.

 

“For the last time. It's _Summer_ who snores.”

 

~*~

 

“I think that's Orion, right there. Least his belt.”

 

Blake's eyes flicked over to the stars. “… That's right. And right there… that's Taurus.”

 

Yang cocked her head to the side. “Huh… the upside down triangle?”

 

 _Sigh_. “Yes Yang. The upside down triangle.

 

It was quiet for a bit, just chilling on the roof. Yang didn't want to wake up her parents by going into the house, and the night was so clear and warm, she just showed Blake the trellis and the darkhaired girl scaled up like a cat.

 

“Hey Blake? Why do you wear bows like… every day?”

 

Blake looked over, amber eyes reflecting the light of the moon. “… Remember my ex?”

 

“Sir Douchebag?”

 

Blake elbowed Yang softly, Yang giggling. “He was!”

 

“… Yeah, in the end he was. He wasn't so bad at first. But he thought I looked silly with bows. Always did.” Blake snorted. “It was like offensive whenever I wore one in his presence. After I finally got the guts to break it off, well, I realized I didn't have to dress for him. Not anymore. So I started wearing bows again. I don't feel dressed one without one anymore.”

 

Yang ran her finger against the bow, the soft fabric against her skin. “My opinion doesn't mean shit, I know, but I kinda like the bows. I think they're cute.”

 

Even in the dark, the blonde could make out the slight pink that bloomed across Blake's cheeks. “… Thank you.”

 

They didn't bring up the fact their hands were now touching, fingers barely interlaced.

 

~*~

 

The gym was now completely set back how it was.

 

Ozpin sighed, the emptiness of the gym reflecting back the sound. It was truly a lovely night. Safe Place was truly a great success.

 

Their memories floated back to the first meetings. When Roman wore those ridiculously printed pink skirts that didn't match his orange top at all. Or when Neo and her girlfriend used to be cuddling on the bleachers. There was no more than maybe seven students those times. True, those were good days. But when their family grew a little larger with each new person entering the Safe Place, it only made Ozpin feel more thankful that this place existed.

 

“Ozpin?”

 

Ah. Glynda noticed they weren't home. Ozpin turned and picked up their cane. “Just cleaning up. I was just going to walk home, but I hope you wouldn't mind driving me?”

 

Glynda sighed. “You should take your own car sometimes. You know you're always here late.” She chided gently, but gestured the professor on.

 

Ozpin followed their longtime friend out into the parking lot.

 

“Almost wish there was a place like this for us… you know. When we were young.” Glynda was acting wistful again.

 

Ozpin chuckled. “Don't we all.”

 

Glynda opened the door for Ozpin and was met with a bemused look. “How polite.”

 

“Very funny.” Glynda quietly huffed while Ozpin slipped into the passenger seat.

 

When Glynda got into the car, Ozpin spoke again. “We can wish for the Safe Place to have existed during our youths… but no one can change the past.”

 

The blonde woman gripped the steering wheel a little tight, knuckles going white and sharp. “I know.”

 

“At least we can have it today. I consider that a blessing.”

 

There was Glynda's soft smile again. “… Very true.”

 

By the time Glynda reached the house, Ozpin had drifted off in the passenger seat. Glynda sighed and shook her head.

 

What a funny person. Planned on walking home but couldn't last the five minute drive home without falling asleep.

 

At least Ozpin had her to look out for them sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy. It is really lucky you get to see this chapter at all, I sent it to a friend and she still had it on her computer when mine decided to randomly die... basically days after the warranty expired.


	3. Online Dating - Roman Torchwick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Online dating is never easy... but sometimes you can find a diamond among the garbage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, online dating. I met my boyfriend online, but not via a dating website... you can't prove it was on a fanfiction website, okay?! 
> 
> Anywho, a certain someone got me hooked on Crime Dads, and this happened.

“No.”

 

“No…”

 

“Oh _hell_ no…”

 

“Wait, you’re kinda cute- aaaand you’re clearly wearing a wedding ring. Hell. No.”

 

Yang glanced up at Roman, the source of loud complaints, who was now loudly banging his head against the diner table. “Trying the online dating world again?” 

 

“With as much luck as last time.” The orange haired man sat up, dragging his hand down his face and smearing his eyeliner. “Ugh. How. Does one do this shit. Without losing their goddamn mind.”

 

The blonde scooted closer and looked over his shoulder. “Maybe Neo could help?”

 

“No way.” Roman kept scrolling down the pages, man after man popping up. “Ugh, I like random hookups as much as the next guy, but is there someone around here who wouldn’t mind going out for a cup of coffee? For god’s sake?” 

 

Yang winced and patted his shoulder. “Look on the bright side- you’re not a pansexual girl.”

 

“Touche. Oh, that one’s kinda cute…” 

 

Yang stole the mouse and clicked onto his profile. “Oh no. Nope. Look there.”

 

Roman made the mistake of reading aloud. “Feminism is the sign of the downfall of the- Nope. Nope. Goodbye, you  _ disgrace  _ to bisexual men.”

 

Honestly… maybe he should ask Neo for help… 

 

~*~

 

The phone got angrily pitched across the room as Roman grabbed a pillow and screamed into it. 

 

He actually was having a nice discussion with this guy, then he  _ had _ to go and make a disgusting comment about Roman’s choice of wardrobe. There was frustrating, and then there was just  _ hurtful _ . Roman pretended to not give a shit, but that wasn’t doing dick diddly at this momet.

 

A few moments later, he felt Neo’s presence above him. The girl was silent. Roman dropped his pillow and looked up.

 

She cocked her head to the side. Didn’t need to say anything.

“I’m never trying online dating. Ever. It’s  _ impossible _ . And if I do, I’m not putting any pics of myself in a skirt, or a dress, or just… I’m not saying I’m genderfluid. At all.” It just attracted too many assholes.

 

Neo cocked her head to the side before picking up his phone and opening up one of his many dating apps. Roman sat up and tried looking over her shoulder but his eyes were immediately covered by one of his sister’s small hands. “What are you doing?” 

 

She didn’t move, just kept editing things on his profile before finally dropping her hand. Roman glanced over her shoulder. “What the hell did you do?”

 

Neo set the phone on her lap for a moment before signing,  _ “I edited your profile. You don’t know yourself well enough to describe yourself perfectly. I changed what your profile said to up the accuracy and now I’m looking for potential suitors... Plus since you were so upset about it, I removed all your pictures with what people consider feminine clothing, and added some more with you dressed nice.” _

 

Oh. Okay then. “Uh… thanks.”

 

Neo just smiled before she kept on scrolling. It was amazing how fast she could read, she was rejecting and moving on before Roman could even get a sentence out.

 

Finally, she paused. Read. Read some more. Purposefully turned away from Roman so he couldn’t read over her shoulder. Finally, she nodded and handed the phone back. 

 

_ ‘He’s a bit older than you, but send him a message. I think he’ll like you.’ _

 

Roman hesitantly took the phone back and looked at the profile… oh wow.

 

Certainly was older, he looked to be in his mid to late thirties. But he was handsome, had a nice beard and a nice enough smile. Definitely was Roman’s type physically. Roman scrolled down to read the profile. Damn, he was pretty settled, owned a club, lived pretty comfortably… apparently had twin daughters. Okay, that was’t a deal breaker, they were only sixteen. 

 

_ “My name is Hei Xiong, but everyone just calls me Junior.” _

 

Junior. Roman snorted. The guy was almost seven feet tall, and apparently was named  _ Junior _ . Good grief. Well… he seemed decent. “... Thanks, Neo.”

 

Roman spent the next fifteen minutes deciding on the perfect message to send before going to bed. 

 

Maybe he should take his sister’s advice more often… or just listen to Yang. She had the right idea most of the time.

 

~*~

 

“Girls, why are you giggling?”

 

The twins spun around, the matching look of deer in headlights across both their faces. Junior crossed his arms and waited for a response. When Melanie and Militia giggled like that, they were up to something. And that something tended to bite his ass later.

 

“So, well, you remember that we tried to make you sign up for a dating profile?”

 

“And that you wouldn’t?”

 

“So, we sorta made one for you?”

 

“And we forgot about it.”

 

“But then we got a message!”

 

“From a really hot guy!”

 

“Come here, dad, you’ll like him!”

 

Oh lord. Now Junior was  _ really _ regretting telling his daughters that he was attracted to men so they’d stop setting him up with random women. Obviously it backfired, as they simply just switched their targets. “You’re both grounded, but after I read this ‘hot guy’s’ message.”

 

Ignoring the immediate complaints that followed whenever a punishment was given, Junior sat down at the computer desk and clicked open the message.

 

Huh. He was a little young, maybe, but his daughters weren’t wrong- pretty damn good looking. 

 

_ Hey, you’re lookin’ pretty nice. How do you feel about coffee?  _

 

Direct. But not crude. Junior ran his fingers through his hair as he read the profile. Raised his younger sister, was interested in running his own business someday, and apparently had a pretty sharp sense of humor. 

 

Ugh. Well, this might get his daughters off his back for a few weeks if he just went on a date.

 

“... Fine, I’ll go on one date. One. And you’re still both  _ grounded _ . Hand over the phones and the tablets, and you’re coming right home after school, every day, for a week.”

 

“But daaaad!” The unified whines and the stomp of Melanie’s foot was grating, but Junior just stood and looked down at both of them.

 

“Should I up it to  _ two  _ weeks?”

 

Instant obedience, the cellphones set on the desk and the sad walk to fetch their tablets. Junior sighed. He’d told them no to the dating profile, he had to punish them. But if this date went anywhere near well, they’d get at least their phones back… and maybe two pints of mint ice cream. 

  
Still no tablets though. And no going out after school. He wasn’t that much of a softie!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you still here? Yes? Good! There will be a chapter involving their date sooner or later. BTW not all of these will be in order either... I'm kinda a scatterbrain like that. Hope you enjoyed the tale, leave a comment telling me if any of YOU have ever tried online dating, and have a great day!
> 
> Edit: Shoutout to RaptorSenshi, who supported this chapter.


	4. A Day Out- Roman and Penny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a glimpse of a day out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick warning for allusions to transphobic violence near the end.

“It should _not_ be this hard to find a skirt my size!”

 

“You're over six feet tall. It's a miracle when you find a skirt that fits at all!”

 

Roman stuck his tongue out at Nora, who just giggled sheepishly and dived back into her changing room. He sighed and looked in the mirror again. Yup. Too. Fucking. Short. With a growl, he stormed back into his dressing room and shut the door to squirm out of the skirt.

 

He ignored the angry press marks into his skin indicating that it had been too small around as well. This skirt was fucking adorable, _why_ did this have to be the biggest size?

 

Someone knocked on the door. “Er… Roman?”

 

Ah. Pyrrha. Someone who understood the tall problem. Roman cracked open the door.

 

Pyrrha smiled and lifted up a larger skirt. “It's a different color, but it's the same style. And I think you like orange?”

 

Okay, who could stay cranky with a cute face like _that_ smiling at them? “Praise you.” He said before taking it and closing the door.

 

This time, he sauntered out and looked _fantastic_. And it didn't feel like he was getting crushed either! “Neo, review!”

 

Neo looked away from admiring her new dress in the mirror, looked Roman up and down, and then gave a double thumbs up. Yup. This was going into his wardrobe.

 

Exiting the store with the other girls about thirty minutes later, Roman glanced around to look for the guys. “Where's your boyfriends, guys?” Ah, the reaction was perfect, every time.

 

Pyrrha got all blushy and smiley, while Nora got all stuttery and 'We're not ACTUALLY together, together'. Pyrrha pointed to a bench.

 

Ren was asleep, poor guy never slept well at night, while Jaune was getting there, head hanging and eyelids fluttering. Roman snickered before sauntering up to the bench. He tapped both of the boys' heads. Ren shot up immediately, it was like he was never asleep.

 

Jaune on the other hand nearly fell off the bench after jolting awake. He blinked a few times and laughed sheepishly. “Done? Finally?”

 

Roman pointed to Pyrrha, who was wearing the new dress she had bought. A pretty cherry red, just above her knees, and she looked amazing. Jaune clearly realized that, his jaw had dropped in shock. “… Wow. You look great, Pyrrha.”

 

The girl laughed sheepishly. “I look all right. I am certainly fond of this style though. I might have to buy more in other colors.”

 

“Oooh! Oooh, Pyrrha looklook!” Nora pointed at the rotating advertisements on the back of one of the mall maps. Roman wasn't surprised to see one of Pyrrha's advertisements, posing for a pair of really cute jeans.

 

Pyrrha just shook her head. “It's just a picture of me, Nora. It's not a big deal.”

 

“Not a big- Do you hear this girl?!” Nora gestured wildly to Ren, who just shrugged. “A model. A pretty popular model, with legs of Venus, and she has the gall to say she's 'not a big deal'. Let me tell _you_ , missie, you're totally the biggest deal! Ever!”

 

The redhead was nearly blushing as red as her hair. “… Thank you, Nora. Well, we finished shopping, so… arcade trip on me?”

 

Jaune was halfway down the escalator before anyone else fully comprehended what was going on.

 

~*~

 

“Hiya! Hiya! Die, you stupid squirrels, die- HIGH SCORE! WHOOP!”

 

Nora leaped for joy as she stood in front of the 'Squirrel Bop' game, basically a Whack a Mole knock off. The tickets poured out of the slot while the orange haired girl giggled excitedly. That was. So epic.

 

Ren tapped her shoulder and Nora glanced up. “Yo, Ren, whatever you want from the ticket counter- it's on me.”

 

He shook his head. “Thanks Nora but… play a game of DDR with me?” He looked at the dancing pads pleadingly.

 

His favorite game. After folding up the tickets and putting them in her pocket, Nora grinned. “You're on, but prepare to be beat!”

 

Jumping and trying to 'dance' to the high beat song Ren chose was probably one of the greatest things ever. Ren always played hard mode, and he had such grace he could hit the arrows perfectly every time.

 

So it wasn't a surprised when he won again.

 

Taking a deep breath, Nora dropped to her knees dramatically. “Gaaaaah, noooo! Failure once again! Failure!” She cried out. Ren was trying really hard not to laugh. Really hard.

 

Both of them alerted to the sound of clapping and looked up.

 

Huh. It was that girl that was hanging out with Ruby at the last Safe Place meeting. Skinny, bright green eyes, seemed sweet but weird. That was okay though. “That was _sensational_! Can I play next?”

 

Nora stepped off the pad. “Whadya say, Ren? Promise to go easy on her?” Ren looked a bit flummoxed before he nodded and put in more tokens, enough so both of them could play.

 

Jumping in place with excitement, the girl hopped onto the other pad. The music started up… and it was completely obvious that even Ren was struggling to keep up with her. It was one thing to be graceful, but another thing entirely to have good rhythm. And Penny had an amazing rhythm.

 

When the winner was announced to be Penny, she squealed and did a dance in place. “That was so much fun!” She stuck out her hand to Ren, who had difficulty catching his breath. “I'm Penny, I saw you at last week's Safe Place meeting. Ruby said your name was Ren, right?”

 

Ren gave her hand a quick shake and nodded. Penny beamed. “Pleasure to meet you, and Nora! Have you seen Ruby? She wanted to hang out with me today at this arcade, but I cannot seem to find her.”

 

“Rubes?” Nora thought for a second. “I haven't seen her today? Maybe she forgot?”

 

“Oh no, she didn't forget, I texted her last night. She was very excited for today.” Ruby wasn't the only one. Penny glanced around again. “Can I hang out with you until she arrives, if it is not too much trouble?”

 

Nora glanced at Ren, who thought for a second before giving a quick nod. Nora beamed and looped together their arms. “Noooo problem! Come on, there's this really cool Spider Stomp game I can never beat on hard mode, show me your fancy footwork on _that_!”

 

~*~

 

Ruby expected many things to happen when she was late. This was not one of them.

 

“Penny? Is… that a giant Pikachu?”

 

Penny beamed and lifted up the plushie. “I won so many tickets, and I decided that this plushie looked really huggable, and it _is_!” She squished it tight against herself.

 

Nora popped out and lifted up her own matching Pikachu. “Electric types are the beeeest!” She cheered, raising the toy far above her head. Ren just looked skeptical.

 

Ruby snickered quietly. “Sorry I was so late, you want to go anyplace?”

 

Penny pulled out her phone to check the time. “… We'll only have a few minutes, my father should be here to pick me up soon. So how about we have some coffee? That'll work, right?”

 

Sounded good enough.

 

The two girls were soon gabbing away while sipping their drinks.

 

“Nora and Ren are very nice. Ren is very quiet though. Is he always like that?” Penny cocked her head to the side.

 

Ruby snickered. “Nora does enough talking for the _both_ of them. It's just how he is.” He had never been very vocal, but he'd gotten actually better since she met him. Before it was maybe a sentence once a _day_. Now he could hold a conversation.

 

Penny nodded. “That's probably a good thing. If both of them were chattery, I probably wouldn't get a word in.”

 

Ruby put a thumbs up. “I feel you, friend. I feel you.”

 

~*~

 

Now where on earth was Penny?

 

James glanced at his phone with a quiet sigh and sent her another text.

 

_Penny, it’s five thirty. I’m coming in to find you._

 

The man slipped the phone back into his pocket before exiting his car and entering the mall.

 

This really wasn’t his scene. But Penny had apparently made a few new friends at school, and well, given how things had gone at her last school, James had dropped her off at the mall, with the promise that she’d be right out when he came to pick her up.

 

Three texts later and you could say James was… concerned.

 

Okay, he was worried. He could admit that to himself.

 

The man weaved around the arcade to confirm Penny was definitely not there. And she still hadn’t texted him. Anxiety balled in his chest and he took a deep breath. All right. She left with her friends elsewhere. It was a large mall with plenty of destinations that teenage girls would like.

 

_She’s fine. She’s fine. She’s fine._

 

“Aren’t you a little _old_ to be playing Squirrel Bop?”

 

James glanced to the side to see an orange haired young person with sparkling green eyes and a raised eyebrow. “I’m looking for my daughter. She’s about sixteen, orange hair, wears a-”

 

“Pink bow?” They perked up. “ _Right_ , Red’s new BFF, Penny. I think they went to get coffee.”

 

They were a little _old_ to be friends with high schoolers, weren’t they? Either way, they knew where Penny was, so James nodded. “Thank you.” He turned and quickly left the arcade.

 

Coffee. It was fine. When did Penny find a taste for coffee though? Granted, it was probably something a bit sweeter than typical coffee, but she always turned up her nose before.

 

Guess she was growing up.

 

When James’ eyes landed on the girls at the table, he breathed a sigh of relief. Thank god, she was fine. She was having a good time too, the girl James presumed was ‘Ruby’ was animatedly telling a story while Penny had her entire attention tuned on her. No wonder she hadn’t noticed her phone going off.

 

James entered the cafe area and weaved around the tables, keeping his eyes on the girls-

 

“Whoa! You’re in a rush to get someplace, aren’t you?”

 

The man had ended up smacking right into someone else while heading towards their table. James glanced to see a scruffier man with crimson-brown eyes and grayish streaks through his hair. James frowned and smoothed his jacket. “Trying to get to my daughter. Please, move aside.”

 

“Really? Which one’s your daughter?” Oh brother. Someone was getting nosy.

 

James sighed and after giving this stranger a long glare, turned towards the table. “Penny!”

 

Penny’s head jerked in his direction, as well as Ruby’s. Both girls lit up.

 

“Father!”

 

“Uncle Qrow!”

 

Both girls got up and ran to their respective family members. Penny hurried up to him. “You are already here?”

 

James cleared his throat. “Penny? Look at your phone.”

 

The ginger haired girl dug into her pocket and pulled out the phone, the screen lighting up and Penny’s face going pale. The girl slowly looked up before smiling nervously.

 

“Errr… It appears I have lost track of time.”

 

Meanwhile, Ruby was giving her ‘Uncle Qrow’ a tight hug. “I thought Yang was gonna pick me up today!”

 

“Well, Firecracker was going on a ‘date that wasn’t actually a date’ with that blue haired kid and the other one who can’t button up his shirt, so she convinced me I should spend time with you.” Qrow ruffled the girl’s hair. “Think your friend has to be going home now?” He glanced up, there was a slightly apologetic look on his face but it faded quickly enough.

 

Penny nodded. “I am afraid I must go. We will do this again though, Penny, and you must tell me more about your book!”

 

Ruby reddened a bit before smiling. “Course! See you at school!”

 

James remained silent until they got to the car. When the door shut, Penny’s shoulders went slack. “Sorry, father. I know I should pay attention to the time, I don’t want to worry you.”

 

Quietly sighing, James pressed a hand against his temple. “I’m not angry. I was just worried.”

 

Penny curled in more to herself. “Ruby won’t mind about… who I am, father. I promise. None of my new friends would.”

 

James glanced over at her. “… I hope your judgment is sound this time, Penny.”

 

The images of Penny limping up the doorstep, skirt torn and face swollen and purple and covered in tears and blood flashed through James’ mind before he shook his head and turned on the car.

 

It would be different this time. It had to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, that got heavy near the end. SOrry this one's a bit all over the place, I wrote it over a space of time. I hoped you all enjoyed it anyway! Shoutout to Artemiisia for helping support this story along with Eyes of the Devil! Question for the day: What song do you dance to when no one's watching? Bye now!


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